Magnetoelectric effect refers to a phenomenon observed in materials that interact with both electric fields and magnetic fields, whereby an electric field applied to such a material can induce magnetization and an external magnetic field applied thereto can induce electric polarization of the material. Accordingly, when a material exhibits the magnetoelectric effect, the material generally has both magnetic field related properties, such as ferromagnetism, ferrimagnetism or antiferromagnetism, and electric field related properties, such as ferroelectricity, ferrielectricity or antiferroelectricity.
For commercial success of magnetoelectric sensors, magnetic sensors, electric sensors, photoelectron devices, microwave electric devices, and magnetoelectric or electromagnetic transducers, which have been and continue to be researched, it is essential to develop materials which have both ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties at room temperature, i.e. 25° C., and exhibit magnetoelectric effect at room temperature or higher temperatures where devices are actually used. Accordingly, for fundamental understanding of the magnetoelectric effect, studies on properties of magnetoelectric materials at room temperature and very low temperature have been conducted worldwide.
Such studies and applications require equipment to measure the magnetoelectric effect of such materials. Such equipment has not been commercialized but has been manufactured and used for laboratory research. Recently, in addition to the studies on the properties of magnetoelectric materials, aixACCT Systems, a leading manufacturer of measurement equipment for ferroelectric properties, is attempting to develop technologies incorporating measurement option for magnetoelectric properties into their popular equipment for measuring ferroelectric properties.
Most traditional equipment for measuring the magnetoelectric effect employs a method of measuring voltage generated from variations in electric dipoles due to a varying magnetic field. Accuracy of such equipment depends upon the thickness of a target material, thus lowering sensitivity in the measurements of a thin-film material exhibiting the magnetoelectric effect. Furthermore, the conventional method yields poor measurement accuracy and is not appropriate for measurement in a low-frequency band.